1990 raw Fang Zhuan (square brick) from the Menghai regionFrom Teamasters
Featuring : A nice new teapot!
This is the first big chunk of aged pu I have yet owned - I think I'm allowed to say 1990 is aged without being shouted down too much.
This is what Stéphane has to say about it:
"1990 raw Fang Zhuan (square brick) from the Menghai region (not the factory). This brick contains leaves of all grades. It reminded me very much the smell of tree leaves in the fall, when they are still moist and dry on the ground in misty, foggy woods. It has some fresh taste as well and a strong qi. The mix of grades creates a tea that feels very broad and difficult to grasp. That's why I say there is fog in the forest."
I have had maybe ten sessions with this tea since I acquired it and took the pic you see above. I'm still not exactly sure what it's all about which corresponds nicely with Stéphane and his talk of fog in the forest.
It is an enjoyable and warming tea, that much I am sure of.
The 17 odd years of storage have imparted a shu like quality to the brew. It reminds me of the best bits of good quality compost, in a good way, which again may not be too far from the forest floor that Stéphane recalls. . There is almost nothing in the way of bitterness or astringency detectable. I do not have a great deal of experience with pu-erh but I would hazard a guess that this was not stored in the Sahara.
Considering this fang zhuan was bought for less than some 2007 beengs are selling for I am very happy with my purchase and it is infinity more drinkable than any sheng I have from the past few years, especially in these winter months. I suspect this is not a masterclass in 1990's sheng but it certainly is a tea glad I'm bought, I say bought as opposed to invested. Since I own very little pu-erh more than a few years old it also increases my pu-erh street cred to have a sizable chunk of 17 yr old sheng, not bad eh.
6 comments:
Is the teapot in the photo the new one that you mention? Is it a Yunnan Sourcing pot or from elsewhere?
Yeah, that's the new pot. It's from Stéphane Erler at Teamasters and very nice it is too.
http://tinyurl.com/2eu74e
It's not that new anymore though, I started writing that post about two months ago. Circumstance should allow a little more blog posting in the near future.
I have yet to purchase a pot from Stéphane, but so far all the comments I have seen from those who have purchased one of his pots are extremely positive.
Is this your first purchase from him? Are you also very enthusiastic about your new honey pot?
P.S., I still don't see the link you've been meaning add to your site for Wes's
http://thegreenteareview.blogspot.com/
:)
I got one of these bricks as well and my sentiments are pretty much the same. I think it's a great deal for the price, and something worth having around. It's not the best aged puerh, and it's not something that leaves a real strong impression, but it is a good one. I think it's a great place for people to start with aged puerh. At some point I would like to get a couple more to have around.
Salsero:
Yeah that is the new pot but I started writing that post a few months ago so the pot ain't so new anymore.
I have acquired 2 pots since that may be up to a photo shoot once I've built up some trust with them.
This was my first order from Stéphane and I'm sure it won't be my last.
abx:
I think Stéphane pretty much said as much when he introduced the tea as cheaper, affordable, ready to drink etc.
I would be more inclined to use my cash for one of his more expensive shengs as opposed to more of these - I don't see me finishing this off in the near future, there's enough for me to have it around for quite a while.
Post a Comment